Russell Westbrook's Off-Duty Style is Full of Secrets

The outfit Russell Westbrook wore ahead of his game against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, like most of his outfits, is a little too crazy to work in real life. The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard is maybe the only person on the planet who can pull off a sweatshirt tucked into sweatpants, worn with half-calf socks pulled all the way up, and a bandana around his head. The rest of us would just look unhinged and deeply suspicious in an outfit like this. Still, it deserves shouting out here because hidden among all the weirdness, are two solid style moves that every man should consider embracing right now: red as a power color and sneakers that look like socks.

Whether you go for a red sweater, red baseball jacket, or heavy-duty red hoodie is up to you. The important thing is that you resist the voice inside your head that tells you to stick with gray, navy, or black instead. You own enough neutral stuff already. Red, on the other hand, is going to make every boring pair of chinos and basic jeans in your wardrobe feel new. Red will make you look confident and, if Justin Bieber’s success winning back Selena Gomez is any indication, make you more attractive to others. No one is saying you have to pull a fashion Santa like Mr. Westbrook here and wear red from head-to-toe, just one item will do.

And those sneakers. As our own streetwear expert/sneakerhead Jake Woolf declared earlier today: “There are only two sneaker trends that matter right now: bulky, oversized sneakers and sock sneakers.” Are you ready to look like your dad during his absolute lowest style moments? Didn’t think so! Sock sneakers it is. Westbrook’s pair are Balenciaga Speed Trainers, a.k.a. the most searched for sneaker on the Internet. If you don’t want to go quite so futuristic, or pricey, there are plenty of other options on the market.

And, just as with the sweats, there’s no obligation to follow Westbrook’s styling cues here. Sock sneakers made to look like sock boots is a lot of look for anyone, let alone someone whose calves don’t win trophies.